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ARTICLES THIS MONTH:
CHRISTGods Love GiftBY DR. DOUG BEACHAM
Why WeMUST INVEST in the
Next GenerationBY SAMANTHA SNIPES
Three PRIMARY Functions of the Holy Spirit
BY GREG HOOD
Please Dont FAKE the Spirits Anointing
BY J. LEE GRADY
EncourageInspiration for IPHC Leaders
November/December 2015 Vol. 2 No. 10A Place of Hope. A People of
Promise.
Published by The InternationalPentecostal Holiness Church
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By Doug Beacham
DOUG BEACHAM is the presiding bishop of the IPHC. He has served
in various roles in the church including Georgia Conference
Superintendent, executive director of Church Education Ministries,
and executive director of World Missions Ministries. You can follow
Bishop Beacham on Facebook or on Twitter @DougBeacham.
Encourage Magazine 2
This year, a book of sermons by J.H. King
has prepared my heart for Christmas.
C hristGods Love Gift is the title of this column and the title
of a 1969 collection of sermons by the late Joseph H. King. The
book was compiled by the late B.E. Underwood, former IPHC general
superintendent. Focusing on Christological sermons that King
preached, Underwoods book provides a sampling of J.H. Kings
insights on the person and work of Jesus Christ.
King published the sermon entitled Gods Love Gift in Falcon,
North Carolina, in a 1916 book, Select Sermons. Using John 3:16 as
the text, and building around Jesus encounter with Nicodemus, King
expounded:
The text exhibits the sublimest of all divine attributes.
Omnipotence holds all things in their place, power directs all in
their movements, justice protects all in their rights, mercy pities
all in their miseries, goodness covers all in its kindness,
omniscience guides all by its counsel, truth illuminates all with
its light, faithfulness fulfills all that is expected, grace saves
all who are seeking, but love is the crown of all. Love is the
source of all, the force of all, and the bond of all, in Godhead.
God is love. Holiness is love in its spotlessness; joy is love in
its overflowing; peace is love in undisturbed repose; goodness is
love providing; patience is love enduring; zeal is love burning;
and wrath is loves vengeance upon the wickedness of an impenitent
world.
CHRISTGODS LOVE GIFT
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Encourage Magazine 3
EncourageA place of hope. A people of promise.
November/December 2015 Vol. 2 No. 10
Editor in ChiefDr. A.D. Beacham, Jr.
PublisherInternational Pentecostal Holiness Church
Executive EditorJ. Lee Grady
Communications Director /Associate EditorJanese Bennett
Evangelism USAD. Chris Thompson
World Missions MinistriesJ. Talmadge Gardner
Discipleship MinistriesThomas H. McGhee
Clergy Development /World Intercession Network
Lou Shirey
Encourage is published monthly except in July and December by
the International Pentecostal Holiness Church, P.O. Box 12609,
Oklahoma City, OK 73157. Digital subscriptions are available free
of charge by contacting [email protected]. Images courtesy of
thinkstockphotos.com unless otherwise noted.
My thoughts turned to the portrayal of Jesus in Joseph H. Kings
writings for several reasons. First, King rightly discerned that
Jesus is the Fathers gift of love to lost humanity. In the
paragraph quoted above, God is love is the ground of all
existencefrom creations opening moment to the coming of Gods
eternal kingdom.
Second, Christ as the Fathers love gift is an appropriate focus
as our hearts are preparing for the Christmas season. The IPHC is
focusing on the Advent season with a call for Sunday, November 29,
first Sunday in Advent, to be designated Red Sunday. We encourage
you to decorate your sanctuary in red and wear red as part of your
clothing. Its a way of reminding us of the blood of Jesus, the
price that was paid for our salvation.
Third, this year we have focused on our second core value, We
Prayerfully Value Pentecost. In particular, the final quarter of
this year we have focused on the gifts of the Holy Spirit. We are
reminded that the gifts of the Spirit are not about our exaltation
or achievement; rather, they are about the body of Christ, Gods
love gift.
Regarding J.H. King, the King home in Franklin Springs was
dedicated as an IPHC museum on November 7. You can
find out more about that at iphc.org.
When the last of the four King children died, leaving no heirs,
the IPHC was able to purchase this home. Due to the extraordinary
work of Mrs.
Sue Carr and her children, as well as
IPHC archivist Dr. Harold Hunter, this
home is being preserved as a fitting historical tribute as
well as a place to prayerfully reflect on our IPHC present and
future.
I am thankful that Dr. Tony Moon, a professor at Emmanuel
College, will soon release the definitive biography of Bishop King
after several years of historical and theological study. He has
pieced together a detailed and compelling account of the life and
influence of Joseph H. King and we celebrate this accomplishment.
It will surely provide encouragement and enrichment to all who read
it. Once released, we will be sure to provide information on how
you can purchase a copy.
J.H. King died in 1946 before I was born. But I knew his late
wife, Blanche Moore King, and their four children. In my opinion,
J.H.
In this season of Thanksgiving and Christmas, I am indeed
primarily thankful for
Jesus ChristGods love gift.KING PHOTO CREDIT: IPHC ARCHIVES
King was the most significant General Superintendent of our
first 50 years as a movement. His roots in Methodism gave him a
solid theological and biblical background for effective
ministry.
King traveled globally in 1910 and 1911 and was present in many
of the places around the world where the IPHC is now very strong.
His theological writings, particularly From Passover to Pentecost,
remain an IPHC classic.
In this season of Thanksgiving and Christmas, I am indeed
primarily thankful for Jesus ChristGods Love Gift. And I am
thankful for godly, passionate preacher-scholars like Bishop J.H.
King who laid the foundations for us as the International
Pentecostal Holiness Church.
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Every generation has a unique purpose. Each generation is
benefitted by the one that precedes them and the one that follows
after. There is a treasured deposit they are to share with each
other.Making that deposit involves relationships, and relationships
are vital. We are
in relationship so that the older generation will mentor the
younger generations, and for the younger generation to breathe new
life and ideas into the older.
We serve the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. God designed the
generations to flow together with beautiful synergy. He made all
generations to combine, interact, cooperate, and be with one
another to learn, grow and become the mature bride of Christ.
Mentorship, as when Paul discipled Timothy, is as essential to
the church today as it was when Paul penned the letters that became
part of the New Testament. In fact, we have the New Testament
because of the mentoring relationships in the early church!
The generations are running a relay race. Mentoring and training
is the way the baton is passed so that the race will continue.
Leaders must always keep this in mind. They must continually
initiate and maintain relationships with younger believers.
Sometimes the younger will pursue the older generation, and that
is great. But leaders should not wait for that. When leaders are
mentoring, they ought to cast the vision for their disciples to
disciple others. Then they will ensure that the baton will pass to
future generations long after they have left this earth.
Valuing all generations is essential in the mentoring model set
about in the Scriptures. Naomi imparted direction to Ruth, and Ruth
imparted hope to Naomi.
Encourage Magazine 4
By Samantha Snipes
SAMANTHA SNIPES serves as the IPHC Director of Womens
Ministries. She and her husband have owned their own businesses for
more than 20 years. She was also director of operations at a design
firm and worked with ministries all over the world with their
marketing. She has been involved in womens ministry for more than
20 years.
WHY WE MUST INVEST IN THE NEXT GENERATION
We are running a relay race.All generations must work together
to fulfill Gods plan.
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Each had a purpose, and that purpose was realized in
relationship with one another. I believe as we continue to develop
a culture of mentoring, all generations will be intrinsically
valued.
Author Suzanne Faure gives this definition: Mentoring is a long
term relationship that meets a development need, helps develop full
potential, and benefits all partners, mentor, mentee and the
organization.
The corporate world uses the term mentor often these days. But
mentoring is actually a concept that the church has had from the
beginning, only then it was called discipleship. Jesus commanded
his first disciples to go into all the world and make more
disciples.
Making disciples is more than preaching the gospel and seeing
people saved. It is about helping those newly saved grow into
mature believers and find their place in the body of Christ. It is
about reproducing yourself. And it is about your disciples going on
to do the same.
Here is a picture of what community looked like immediately
after Jesus ascended into heaven: They devoted themselves to the
apostles teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and
to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and
signs performed by the apostles. (Acts 2:4247 NIV) The Holy Spirit
works though the community of believers.
Matt Skinner writes: This describes a community of faith that
operates in the power of Gods Spirit. They are signs of the Spirit
within a community of people who understand themselves as united in
purpose and identity.
We who are identified as the body of Christ are made up of
unique individuals members, serving different functions that are
each
necessary to reflect Him completely. In every phase of our
lives, we present our unique self as a gift to our generation and
to other generations. God has specially created us all to serve an
irreplaceable purpose that is fitted for the time we are born to,
the community we impact, our generation and those that follow.
Let us be faithful to use our gifts to these purposes for this
destiny. When we do this in His limitless supply of love, we will
be obeying Gods second greatest commandment after loving Him with
all our heart, A new command I give you: Love one another. As I
have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will
know that you are my disciples, if you love one another (John
13:3435 NIV).
When we love like this, the world will see the heart of God in
us. They will know that He is real and that we belong to Him.
The words that Jessica Barroso wrote in IPHCs Seven Core Values
resonate strongly in me. She explains: We understand that the Lords
will for our movement is not limited to those who have gone before
or even those who are currently serving, but to the children,
youth, and young adults who are coming behind them. Therefore, as
the IPHC family, we seek
to make room for, raise up, provide opportunities for, and honor
every single member of our Church, no matter his or her age, as we
serve the Lord together.
My family and I moved to Oklahoma this year so I could serve as
the director of Womens Ministries. At that time my son was
prophesied over by our childrens pastor that there were connections
that he was to make in Oklahoma for ministry which God has planned
for him.
This reminded me that God has a plan for each of uschildren
included! As we work together as a team, we change lives by being
obedient to what He has for us to do in this season. At the same
time, as we are obedient to be in the relationships that He has
called us to, we help form the generations which come after us,
positioning them to be right where God needs them to be, and to do
what God has called them to do.
We are all here for such a time as this. That was not just a
word for Queen Estherthis is an ageless statement! God has a reason
for creating us with our personality and the gifts and talents we
have. God has a reason for having us born at the time we were born
and putting us with our families and the particular people who are
around us.
Lets live in relationship with one another across generations,
mentoring one another in love and
raising up the emerging leaders who will reflect Gods glory
and reveal the one true God to the
world.
Encourage Magazine 5
Making disciples is more than preaching
the gospel and seeing people saved.
It is about helping those newly saved grow into mature
believers.
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Before Jesus went to the cross He promised that He would not
leave us alone. He said in John 16:7-11: But I tell you the truth,
it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away,
the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to
you. And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin
and righteousness and judgment; concerning sin, because they do not
believe in Me; and concerning righteousness, because I go to the
Father and you no longer see Me; and concerning judgment, because
the ruler of this world has been judged (NASB).
Jesus is speaking here to His disciples about the coming of the
Holy Spirit, who is without a doubt the Helper. This word helper is
also translated advocate, comforter and counselor.
Jesus tells us three primary functions that the Holy Spirit will
perform when He comes. These three primary functions are key for us
to know because if we dont understand them we will not be able to
operate at the level of effectiveness in our assignment that Father
has purposed for each of us individually and as a Church
corporately.
Before we dive into this, I want to give you the meaning of the
word convict found in the eighth verse. It is important that we
understand this word in order for us to see clearly the working of
Holy Spirit as it applies in this passage.
Encourage Magazine 6
You will not walk in the fullness of the Spirits power
if you dont understand what He does for you.
THREE PRIMARY FUNCTIONS OF THE HOLY SPIRITS WORK
By Greg Hood
GREG HOOD and his wife, Joan, have planted churches throughout
the United States and in other parts of the world. Greg leads the
Pacific Realm District of the IPHC, which consists of 31 churches
and 65 ministries in Alaska, Hawaii and Guam. Greg has a strong
apostolic and prophetic gifting, and he and his wife help pastors
and local congregations conduct mission trips and revitalize
congregations. The Hoods live with their son Micah in Kailua,
Hawaii.
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Encourage Magazine 7
The original Greek word translated to convict here is the word
elegcho. It means to expose or to show. It is important to know
that the Holy Spirit will expose or reveal sin, righteousness and
judgment. We might be tempted to think of the word convict as
negative. But to expose or to show us these things is not a bad
thing. Once we understand what the Holy Spirit is doing, we have a
greater confidence in Him, which allows Him to release great power
and authority through us as we minister.
1. CONCERNING SINThe ninth verse reads, concerning sin, because
they
do not believe in Me. The Holy Spirits first work in our life is
to convict us of or to expose to us our sin.
Notice that the main problem is unbelief. The Holy Spirit comes
to convict the unbelievers of their need for Jesus, so that they
might turn to Him. For the believer, sin simply means missing the
mark.
The Holy Spirit does not show us our sin to make us feel guilty,
to embarrass us or to bring shame or unworthiness. Thats what the
enemy does. The Holy Spirit kindly reveals our sin to us so that we
will repent of it so that all obstacles that hinder the growth of
our relationship with our Heavenly Father are removed.
Conviction is a good thing! It is different from condemnation.
In the case of those who have never been born-again, the Holy
Spirit is the One who convicts of sin and introduces each person to
Jesus in order that they might make Him Lord of their life.
As long as you are alive, the Holy Spirit will continue to
convict you of sin. Never allow yourself to come to a place to
where you dismiss or ignore the convicting power of Holy Spirit. We
must have our sin exposed in order to maintain a life of purity and
holiness before our Father. 1 Thessalonians 3:13 says the Spirit
will establish your hearts without blame in holiness before our God
and Father.
2. CONCERNING RIGHTEOUSNESSand concerning righteousness, because
I go to
the Father and you no longer see Me (John 16:10). Jesus was
leaving, He had been their instructor, but now the Holy Spirit
would teach them what was right and wrong.
But thats only part of what the Holy Spirit does. Jesus ascended
to the Father to make intercession for us. Because of Jesus work on
the cross we have received a gift of righteousness. The Holy Spirit
was sent to us to live within us and establish us in, or reveal to
us, our righteous standing in Christ.
The word righteousness simply means, right relationship with
God. I love how the Apostle Paul puts it in Romans 5:17: Those who
receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness
will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.
Righteousness is a free gift. You cannot do anything
to earn it. It comes with your relationship with Jesus. And as a
born-again believer, you are given the power to reign in this life
through this righteousness.
So when you become born-again, the Holy Spirit comes into your
life to remind you of the free gift of righteousness you have been
given. And He empowers you to reign in this life as a king with all
the authority that Jesus bought back for us through His death,
burial, resurrection, ascension and sitting down at the right hand
of the Father.
His gift of righteousness empowers you to do what He did. In
John 14:12 Jesus said: I say to you, he who believes in Me, the
works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he
will do; because I go to the Father. There is no way to walk this
out without the Holy Spirit!
3. CONCERNING JUDGMENTLastly, the eleventh verse reads: And
concerning
judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged.
Saints, you must know that the devil is not the god of this world
any longer. He has been judged. The accuser of the brothers and
sisters in Christ has been thrown down. There is now no
condemnation in Christ Jesus!
Satan has no authority in your life unless you give it to him.
Jesus said it Himself in Matthew 28:18 just after His resurrection:
All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.
The last time I checked, all still means all! Allow the Holy
Spirit to show you the judgment that has taken place against the
enemy. Dont let the devil bully you around and cause your life to
be full of fear and doubt. Be strong in the Lord and in the power
of His might. You are the victor through Jesus Christ!
So let the Holy Spirit complete His work in you. Continue to
yield to Him as He convicts of sin and helps you to walk free from
it. Be encouraged as He reminds you of your righteousness in
Christ. And finally, remember that judgment had been made against
your enemy once and for all.
The Holy Spirit does not show us our sin to make
us feel guilty, to embarrass us or to bring shame or
unworthiness. Thats what the enemy does.
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Encourage Magazine 8
Gideon is one of my favorite Bible characters because I relate
to his struggle with inferiority. God pulled this runt of a guy out
of a hole in the ground and called him to deliver Israel. Gideons
classic Who, me? response reminds me of conversations Ive had with
the Lord. None of us feels qualified to do Gods work, but we know
from Gideons example that reluctant wimps can be transformed into
valiant warriors.
Ive heard people criticize Gideon because he laid out a fleece
of wool on the ground and asked the Lordnot once but twiceto
confirm His promise (see Judges 6:36-40). But the Bible doesnt say
God was mad at Gideon for wanting assurance. In fact, God answered
Gideon both times with moisture from heaven. The dew was a sign of
Gods favor and blessing.
You know how the story ends. Gideons impressive army of 22,000
is downsized to a ragtag band of 300, and they carry only trumpets,
clay pots and torches into battle. Through their supernatural
victory over Midian, God made it clear that His anointing has
nothing to do with human ability.
How many of us have learned Gideons lesson? Do you trust the
Holy Spirit to work in you, or do you lean on the flesh? Do you
have the precious dew of His miraculous anointing on your life, or
have you manufactured a cheap form of human moisture to do the
job?
Many Christians today cant distinguish between the sweat of the
flesh and the dew of heaven, but there is a big difference. As I
have prayed for more anointing in my life, Ive realized that we
often mistake fake anointing for the real thing. Heres what Ive
learned so far:
PLEASE DONT FAKE THE HOLY SPIRITS ANOINTING
By J. Lee Grady
J. LEE GRADY is an ordained IPHC minister who serves as
contributing editor of Charisma magazine and editor of Encourage.
He also directs The Mordecai Project, an international missions
organization based in Florida. He is a member of the IPHCs Sonshine
Conference. You can follow him on Twitter at @leegrady or visit his
ministry website at themordecaiproject.org.
Many Christians today cant distinguish between the sweat of the
flesh and the dew of heaven.
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THE ANOINTING ISNT IN NUMBERS. We place so much importance on
church size today, yet God doesnt seem impressed by crowds. I have
nothing against megachurches as long as they preach the gospeland
many of them do a better job of it than small churches. But were
headed for disaster if we think seating capacity alone reflects
Gods approval. Remember: The crowds that followed Jesus in the
beginning didnt follow Him to the Cross.
THE ANOINTING ISNT IN ELOQUENCE. Some people have an uncanny way
with words (including non-Christian motivational speakers), but
persuasive skill isnt the same as spiritual anointing. The dew of
heaven is holy. It brings conviction and repentancenot
self-awareness and an ego boost. Just because a slick-haired
preacher can get everyone to stand on the pews and wave
handkerchiefs does not mean he is full of the Holy Ghost. True
preaching does not exalt the preacherit crucifies him and focuses
all attention on the Son of God.
THE ANOINTING ISNT IN LOOKS. In todays cool evangelical scene,
rock star pastors are expected to be sexy, and everyone in the
praise team needs trendy clothes. Theres nothing wrong with
dressing to reach your audience, but I hope we dont think the Holy
Spirit is impressed with hipness or the latest spiky hair gel. The
dowdy grandmother wearing orthopedic shoes might have a word from
the Lord for the congregationbut will we allow her on the
stage?
THE ANOINTING ISNT IN TECHNOLOGY. I love to use digital graphics
when preaching. But some of the most anointed meetings Ive been in
were in Third World countries where we didnt even have reliable
electricity, much less computers
and projectors. When genuine anointing falls on a preacher, he
or she can talk for two hours without having to entertain. Put your
trust in Gods power, not PowerPoint.
THE ANOINTING ISNT IN EMOTIONALISM. In many churches today, lack
of anointing creates a vacuum that is filled by screaming, swooning
and other forms of religious theater. It doesnt matter
what is preachedit is anointed as long as the preacher
punctuates it with enough volume and the people shout back. (One
preacher I know had everyone hollering while she quoted lines from
a Beyonc song!) Remember: Backslidden Israel shouted so loud that
the earth quaked, but by the end of the day the Philistines had
plundered them (see 1 Sam. 4:5-11).
If we are honest, we will admit that in the IPHC we have
sometimes judged a preacher by his or her volume levelrather than
sermon content. Preachers come in all shapes, sizes and delivery
styles. The important thing is not the mannerisms or inflections
but the evidence of the Holy Spirits presence.
The anointing isnt in contrived manifestations. I love it when
the Holy Spirit does miracles. But when people fake the
supernatural in order to get an audience response (or a big
offering), I run for the door. I am so tired of seeing preachers
push people to the floor so they can feel that their message was
powerful. If you have to push, you are in the flesh. If we had the
fear of God we would never pretend to have the anointing by
pushing, jerking, slurring words or stretching the facts in a
testimony.
Charles Spurgeon referred to the Holy Spirits anointing as
unction, and he said of it: Unction is a thing which you cannot
manufacture, and its counterfeits are worse than worthless. Lets
turn away from every false anointing and ask the God who answered
Gideon to soak us with His heavenly power.
Encourage Magazine 9
Lets turn away from every false anointing and ask the God
who answered Gideon to
soak us with His heavenly
power.
THE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT: STORIES FOR CHILDREN / STORIES FROM THE
MANGER / STORIES FOR GROWN-UPS
Many of us have special memories filled with the sights and
sounds of the Christmas season, and IPHC General Superintendent
Doug Beacham is no different. In December 1990, while serving as
senior pastor of Franklin Springs Pentecostal Holiness Church,
Beacham began writing an original Christmas story each year as a
special gift for his congregation. They were read on Christmas
Sunday or during the Christmas Eve candlelight service. After
leaving the church to serve as an IPHC executive in 1994, Beacham
continued the tradition of writing a new Christmas story each year
until 2001.
By then, those stories were written for my family; but community
people still would ask if I had written another, Beacham writes.
Sometimes I read them at the Franklin Springs church; other times,
I read them on Christmas Eve in our home where upwards of forty
people would attend. I also began to read them in the Christmas
chapel service for some of the U.S. Army Reserve units in Georgia
for which I served as chaplain.
Now, over two decades after the first entry was penned, Beachams
Christmas short story collection is available in a single volume.
The Christmas Spirit includes a variety of stories set within the
context of the biblical narrative, stories specifically for
children, and contemporary stories intended more for adults. The
collection is filled with wit, wisdom and Christmas wonder that can
be shared by the entire family this holiday season.
Order your copy from LifeSprings Resources by calling (800)
541-1376 or visiting www.lifesprings.net.
Sara Ray